Smith: "I wanted to get something because the players deserved it"

The spirited Spireites gave Mark Smith just rewards in his first game in caretaker charge in a 1-1 FA Cup second round match with Walsall at the Proact.

After a Richard Wood own goal had given the luckless hosts another deficit to redress Sam Morsy helped bundle home from close range in the latter stages to secure a Banks's Stadium replay.

"I thought we deserved what we eventually got," said Mark Smith to PlayerHD after the game. "We probably deserved to nick it in the end, it was an unbelievable save from their 'keeper from Charlie Raglan.

"I thought the first half was indicative of how we've been going on in the last four games, the teams were a bit down on confidence and I think we made it a bit easy for them at times.

"I didn't think there was much in it, but the way we conceded the goal was not very helpful, but I saw positives even in the first half; the application was first class.

"Second half we went a little bit more route one, but we needed to play the conditions. We coped with the wind in our faces a bit better then they did and I wanted to get something out of the game because I think the players deserved it."

The tied tie sees both sides in the third round hat when the big boys of the Championship and Premier League enter the competition in Monday's draw.

"It was always going to be difficult," said Smith. "The positive is that we're still in the hat, but obviously we've got the replay to go before that, though it will be in interesting to see what happen on Monday when they do it.

"Of course we're only half way there and we need to go there now and finish it off.

"The game was played in awful conditions, credit must go out to both teams for making a bit of a spectacle of it."